FDA Approves New Drug For Treatment Of CLL

The Food and Drug Administration approved a new chemotherapy drug Thursday for use in patients with cancer of the blood, chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

Bendamustine hydrochloride, brand name Treanda, attacks and damages cancer cell DNA that leads to death of these cells and also attacks cancer cells when they try to divide.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (also known as "chronic lymphoid leukemia" or "CLL"), is a type of leukemia, or cancer of the white blood cells (lymphocytes). CLL affects a particular lymphocyte, the B cell, which originates in the bone marrow, develops in the lymph nodes and normally fights infection. In CLL, the DNA of a B cell is damaged, so that it can't fight infection, but it grows out of control and crowds out the healthy blood cells that can fight infection.

An estimated 15,000 Americans are diagnosed annually with CLL, according to American Cancer Society. Patients with CLL often moved to several chemotherapy treatments as the disease goes into remission and then appears again and Treanda will be an option for them.
The drug's manufacturer, Cephalon, Inc, says it should have supplies of the drug to doctors in April.

In a clinical trial of 301 patients comparing Trenda to an approved chemotherapy drug, Cephalon said that patients who received Trenda had better response rates and longer progression-free survival.

Treanda will compete with other chemotherapy agents used in the United States, fludarabine and Campath.

Source : www.allheadlinenews.com